Activists have long suggested that a car depot for the Metro-3 corridor be built at Kanjurmarg instead of Aarey colony, one of Mumbai’s green lungs

The Maharashtra cabinet approved the Metro-6 line on Tuesday.(HT File)

A car depot for the recently approved Metro-6 corridor at Kanjurmarg has made activists question the Maharashtra government’s motives yet again. Activists have long suggested that a car depot for the Metro-3 corridor (Colaba-Bandra-Seepz) be built at Kanjurmarg instead of Aarey colony, one of the city’s green lungs.

The Maharashtra cabinet approved the Metro-6 line on Tuesday. The Mumbai Metropolitan Regional Development Authority (MMRDA) identified a 18-hectare plot in Kanjurmarg for the car depot, which is currently under litigation.

Jyoti Sharma, a member of the Aarey conservation group, said Kanjurmarg was one of the seven options identified as an alternative to Aarey. “The Kanjurmarg land was always available, but when we listed it as an option, authorities told us it was unsuitable as it is a marsh. If officials agree to a slight change in plan, 3,000 trees will be saved,” she said. Stalin D, an activist from NGO Vanashakti tweeted to CM Fadnavis asking how the Metro-6 car shed at Kanjurmarg would be built on a marsh.

Senior MMRDA officials, however, said the Metro-6 car depot needs less space than that needed for Metro-3. While the depot in Aarey will be built across 30 hectares, Kanjurmarg’s needs just half this space. The government said shifting the depot to Kanjurmarg would add Rs1,500 crore to the cost of the Metro-3 project.